Bold CEO Gary Michael Walters Steps Down to Launch New Venture

K.J. Yossman Sally Greene, the woman who appointed Kevin Spacey artistic director of The Old Vic theater in London, has stepped down as a director of the theater’s trust, Variety can confirm. Greene’s husband, property entrepreneur Robert Bourne, has also resigned as a director of The Old Vic Theatre Trust. Her decision to step down as a founding trustee after spending more than 20 years at the London theater company comes ahead of Spacey’s trial for sexual assault, which is due to start at the end of June. The Old Vic found itself at the center of the Spacey storm in 2017 when, following claims made by actor Anthony Rapp, a cascade of allegations about Spacey’s behavior emerged, including a number of claims about inappropriate conduct pertaining to his time at The Old Vic.

A director of an NHS trust in Greater Manchester has stepped down 'with immediate effect' over comments he made on social media. Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust said it condemned Maqsood Ahmad's since deleted remarks on Twitter 'in the strongest possible terms'.

A group of teenage girls in Perthshire have launched a new consent campaign which aims to tackle peer sexual abuse.

The show must go on. Frank Ocean will no longer headline the final weekend of Coachella after his polarizing first performance the week prior.

Naman Ramachandran XYZ Films has unveiled New Visions, an initiative designed to spotlight bold new voices alongside established talent striking a new path in the international cinema space. The initiative will serve as a curated collection of films that “exists to discover and support the next generation of great filmmakers at the inception of their career, and to give established talents room to do something smaller, more intimate, or challenging outside of the usual box of independent filmmaking,” XYZ said in a statement. The slate will launch in Cannes with Directors’ Fortnight selection “In Flames,” a Pakistani-Canadian horror film directed by Zarrar Kahn and executive produced by Shant Joshi. As revealed by Variety, XYZ had boarded the title last year. In the Karachi-set film, after the death of the family patriarch, a mother and daughter’s precarious existence is ripped apart by figures from their past – both real and phantasmal. They must find strength in each other if they are to survive the malevolent forces that threaten to engulf them.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Rakuten TV has announced the launch of two new owned and operated FAST channels, bolstering its role as a curated channel programmer in the free ad-supported streaming TV services space. The channels, announced during MipTV’s FAST Summit, will see the growing pan-European video-on-demand streaming service enter the TV series landscape by launching a reality/factual entertainment channel in the U.K. and crime series channels across German speaking territories and in France, Italy and Spain. Rakuten’s Real channel which was launched in the U.K. on April 12, will feature shows such as culinary bootcamp series “Worst Cooks in America”; reality show “My New BFF”, with Paris Hilton; and “Undercover Boss.”

Jeffery Glaser will step down from his role as EVP of Current Programming at Sony Pictures Television Studios, TheWrap has confirmed.Current Programming co-lead Marie Jacobson is slated to succeed Glaser, who will be exiting the company in June, and will continue to oversee the department after beginning her post this past November, per the internal memo from SPTS President Katherine Pope.“After a 30+ year career in entertainment, Jeffrey had been considering a change and determined that now felt like the right time to begin a new chapter,” Pope wrote.

PrettyLittleThing founder Umar Kamani has announced he will be stepping down as CEO after 12 years of running the fashion empire.

K.J. Yossman Fremantle U.K. CEO Simon Andreae has stepped down from the company, he confirmed today. He has been with Fremantle for eight years. In a company-wide memo, Andreae cited “challenges to my health” as part of the reason for stepping back. He has said he plans to focus his time on his health, family and a “smaller portfolio of projects.” A spokesperson for Fremantle declined to comment on Andreae’s successor, simply saying: “A replacement will be announced soon.” Read Andreae’s email below:

Mixmag reports, multiple DJs have spoken out about their alleged abusive experiences with Hall, who is the son of the late Terry Hall of The Specials.On Tuesday (April 11), New York-based artist Rainstick (real name Anthony Lowe) shared a statement on Instagram in which he accused Hall of sending “completely unprovoked, violent zionist messages, including vile death threats against my family”.“I learned that he also menaced at least two other people – female musicians of colour – with zionist messages, and that this may be a pattern of anti-Palestinian behaviour,” Lowe continued.In a statement obtained by Mixmag, Lowe said: “I have never before had a personal issue with Felix Hall. The issue is the bigotry, racism and violence he has displayed (and then tried to hide), and the greater dangers they represent.”Several other artists have since come forward to detail their experiences with Hall, including North African DJ Marwa Belhaj Youssef.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Country star Tim McGraw announced Thursday that he is entering into a partnership with Shareability, a social content studio that specializes in “viral moments,” to start Down Home, a new Nashville-based media, entertainment and marketing company. According to the announcement, Down Home will be “dedicated to connecting McGraw’s country music audience with Hollywood and brands by producing film, TV and digital media that focuses on relatable stories that capture the essence and spirit of everyday Americans.” No titles or specific projects were announced as part of the unveiling, but the new company is said to have two scripted series in development with Skydance Media, with the intention of following up with feature film and animation projects. In a statement, Joel Bergvall, Down Home’s head of film and television, said, “People want stories that move them, and that starts with characters they can relate to. We’re focused on underdogs, unlikely heroes, and people striving for their sense of family, community, and belonging.”

Bold Film’s longtime CEO Gary Michael Walters has stepped down to launch his own venture, Walters Media Group.Walters Media Group will focus on the development of studio-caliber film and television projects, independent film financing and production, and strategic consultancy to high-net-worth investors and media companies, Walters announced Thursday.“I am deeply appreciative of all the support Bold Films have given me over the past two decades,” Walters said in a statement. “I will miss my Bold family, but I have been yearning to create my own company for some time, and I am very excited to announce my upcoming slate shortly.”Walters, who has been with Bold Film since its founding in 2004, has produced as well as executive produced all of the company’s film and television projects, including “Whiplash” starring Miles Teller and JK Simmons, directed by Damien Chazelle; “Nightcrawler” starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Riz Ahmed, directed by Dan Gilroy; and “Drive” starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Oscar Isaac and Albert Brooks, directed by Nicolas Winding Refn.Bold’s commercial successes include action thriller “No Escape” starring Owen Wilson and Pierce Brosnan, and apocalyptic horror feature “Legion” with Paul Bettany and Dennis Quaid.

Bold Films’ longtime CEO Gary Michael Walters has stepped down from his position to form Walters Media Group.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Sony group companies, Aniplex of America and streaming service Crunchyroll are to begin simulcast streams of anime series “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc” from April 9. Crunchyroll will simulcast new episodes every week where the service is available, and exclusively in North America, South America, and Europe.  The underlying manga series was published under Shueisha’s Jump Comics operation, consists of 23 volumes and has seen sales of over 150 million copies. The animation production is by Ufotable. The narrative began when Tanjiro Kamado, a boy whose family is killed by a demon, joins the Demon Slayer Corps to turn his younger sister Nezuko back into a human after she is transformed into a demon.

Skepta is set to launch a new house music label, hosting a launch party as part of KOKO’s first birthday celebrations.The legendary Camden venue reopened last year after three years of restoration and redevelopment.

Eiza González is celebrating her Mexican heritage with a new partnership. The Hollywood star revealed that tequila “is a deep part” of her culture, and wants to honor it by partnering with Casa Azul to launch premium organic tequila.“It was important for me not to be just another celebrity face of a brand, but to partner with a family-led business that celebrates modern Mexico and gives back to my people,” she said in a joint statement with the brand.Eiza showed her love for Casa Azul back in 2018 at the Oscars, when she took a shot from a shoe filled with tequila.

Variety, which first reported the news. “We have full and total confidence in Scott’s ability to run the business as interim head and know that our film team will not miss a beat as it proceeds forward with a robust slate of releases and acquisitions.”“I have big news to share,” Bocco said on her Facebook page.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Arianna Bocco has stepped down as president of IFC Films. She will be replaced on an interim basis by Scott Shooman, who currently serves as head of acquisitions. Bocco left the company on Thursday. IFC, which is owned by AMC Networks, will conduct a search for a permanent replacement for Bocco, a longtime executive at the company and a major force in the world of independent film, respected for her keen taste and strong relationships with top talent. Bocco took the reins at IFC in 2020 after her predecessor Lisa Schwartz stepped down. But she had been at the company for more than a decade before making that leap. “IFC Films is a vibrant and vital part of our business and we will continue to acquire, produce and distribute films across our IFC Films, Shudder and RLJE Films ecosystems,” AMC Networks said in a statement. “We have full and total confidence in Scott’s ability to run the business as interim head and know that our film team will not miss a beat as it proceeds forward with a robust slate of releases and acquisitions.”

A new chapter! Blac Chyna wowed in white as she stepped out in New York City after she removed her facial fillers and butt injections earlier this month.